2002 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Aruba (territory of the Netherlands)

United States Department of Labor, 2002 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Aruba (territory of the Netherlands), 18 April 2003, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/48d748ce28.html [accessed 9 December 2016]

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There is limited information regarding the extent and nature of child labor and the quality and provision of education in non-independent countries and territories eligible for GSP, AGOA and CBTPA benefits. These areas generally are not eligible to become members of the ILO, and ILO Convention 138 and ILO Convention 182 do not apply to any of them.3937

Statistics on the number of working children under the age of 15 years in Aruba are unavailable, and there is limited information on the incidence of child labor in the country.3942 Article 260 of Aruba's Criminal Code cites as a criminal offense the trafficking of girls, boys and women, with a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.3943

Education is not compulsory in Aruba.3944 Children generally attend primary school from age 6 to 12.3945 There are a total of 32 primary schools in the country.3946 According to Article 1.20 of the Constitution of Aruba, education is supposed to be a constant concern of the government and be freely received.3947 Statistics on education enrollment and attendance rates for children in Aruba are unavailable. The government has made efforts to improve education quality in Aruba by upgrading primary and secondary education and vocational training.3948 In May 2000, the Minister of Education and Employment established a steering committee charged with preparing a survey of the problems of children not attending school.3949 In November 2000, a campaign, "Accion Ban Scol (Go To School Campaign)," was launched that involved the registering of non-school going children and the collection of data on such children as the basis for future policy.3950 The government finances a majority of the country's education system, apart from private schools.3951 In 1994, the Government of Aruba dedicated 16.6 percent of its budget to recurrent educational expenses.3952 The government has also agreed to a framework of cooperation with the European Community that sets as priorities the island's campaign against poverty and the pursuit of sustainable economic and social development.3953

3937 ILO official, electronic communication to USDOL official, January 31, 2002. Also Julie Misner, USDOL Office of International Organizations, electronic communication to USDOL official, September 3, 2002. Most of the areas covered in this summary report are considered by the ILO to be non-metropolitan territories and therefore, are ineligible to become members of the ILO. An ILO member can submit a declaration to the ILO requesting that these conventions apply to their non-metropolitan territories. See ILO, Constitution, Chapter 1, Article 1 and Chapter III, Article 35 [cited November 12, 2002]; available from http://www.ilo.org/public/english/about/iloconst.htm.

3942 United Nations, Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 40 of the Covenant, Addendum, Aruba, CCPR/C/NET/1999/Add.2, January 4, 2002, 8.

3944 Ibid., 15. See also United Nations, Core document forming part of the reports of the States Parties (Aruba): Netherlands, HRI/CORE/1/Add.68 (Core Document), United Nations International Human Rights Instruments, March 11, 1996.

3945 Government of Aruba, General Information about Aruba: Education, 2002 [cited September 16, 2002]; available from http://www.aruba.com/pages/educate.htm.

3947 United Nations, Core document forming part of the reports of the States Parties.

3948 Caribbean Sustainable Development, Anguilla Country Profile Framework for Action: National Implementation of SIDS-POA, UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee, [cited September 23, 2002]; available from http://www.sdnp.undp.org/~eclac/CARMIN/DOCS/ aruba.htm. As noted under the human resource development component of the Small Islands Development States Program of Action (SIDS-POA), "The smallness and vulnerability of small island developing States necessitates special attention to population issues, education and training, and health for effective human resource development." See Caribbean Sustainable Development, Anguilla Country Profile Framework for Action, Chapter XIV "Human Resource Development".

3949 United Nations, Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 40, Aruba, 17.

3951 Aruba's education system is organized in a fashion similar to that of the Netherlands. See Government of Aruba, General Information about Aruba: Education.

3952 Ibid. See also United Nations, Core document forming part of the reports of the States Parties.

3953 VIIIth European Development Fund, Framework of Cooperation Overseas: Country of Aruba/European Community, 1999, 2 [cited September 23, 2002]; available from http://216.239.53.100/ search?q=cache:IJJcQkudg14C:europa.eu.int/comm/development/oct/docs/ tip_aru.pdf+government+of+aruba&hl=en&ie=UTF-8.